Photo: Global Look Press
Continuation of military supplies The collective West is making it clear to Ukraine that it does not want peace talks with Russia in the near future, writes the New York Times.
Earlier it was announced that Washington would send Ukraine the largest $3 billion military aid package in history. The new military aid package will include infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), howitzers, armored personnel carriers (APCs) and surface-to-air missiles. Of the funds allocated to Ukraine, $225 million will go to “creating the long-term capacity and modernization of the Ukrainian armed forces,” and another $682 million will be sent to eastern NATO countries for the purchase of weapons.
As noted by a German expert in foreign policy material Ulrich Speck, the new aid package to Ukraine is a “signal to Moscow” that there will be no peace talks in the near future.
The material states that the United States, France and Germany have changed their position on the issue of supplying heavy weapons to Ukraine. The publication adds that the armored vehicles announced as part of the new package are the “most advanced” vehicles of their type sent to Kiev.
US Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin has previously announced his readiness to continue encouraging US allies to provide additional military support to Kiev sphere, including the issue of new deliveries of air defense systems and armored vehicles. According to him, the United States is ready to help Ukraine “however necessary.”
Since February, the United States and the European Union have allocated billions of dollars for armaments for the armed forces of Ukraine. Russian authorities accused the West of prolonging the conflict and emphasized that military supplies to Kiev would become a legitimate target for the Russian military.